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SHAH ALAM - Angkatan Muda Keadilan (AMK) has questioned the actions of Pas deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, who has been accused of going to great lengths to defend Umno by claiming that Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) was riding on the strength of the party.
AMK information chief Danish Hairudin said Tuan Ibrahim's remarks raised questions over whether Pas was now acting as Umno's "spokesperson" in the dispute between Umno and PKR.
"I was rather puzzled reading the statement by the Pas deputy president who went to such lengths to defend Umno that he claimed PKR was riding on Umno's strength.
"Since when was Pas appointed as Umno's spokesperson? Or does Pas now feel that it is bigger than Umno and can speak on behalf of the party?" he said in a Facebook post on Saturday.
Tuan Ibrahim was previously reported as saying that PKR should not issue an ultimatum to Umno to either remain in the Madani Government or switch its support to Perikatan Nasional (PN), as the party itself was seen as riding on Umno's strength.
He said PKR should assess its position and the number of seats it held compared with Umno before issuing statements in the form of warnings against its fellow government partner.
Danish said if the number of parliamentary seats was being used as a measure of political strength, as suggested by Tuan Ibrahim, PKR had a stronger position based on the 15th General Election (GE15) results, having won 31 seats compared with Umno's 26.
He said after three PKR MPs vacated their respective seats, the party still held 28 parliamentary seats, compared with Umno's 26.
"Therefore, based on the current number of seats, PKR still has more parliamentary seats than Umno," he said.
Danish also questioned Tuan Ibrahim's stance, noting that the Pas leader had previously reminded that there should be no concept of a "big brother" or "little brother" in negotiations over cooperation between Pas and Umno.
He said all parties should be regarded as equals in any form of political cooperation.
"When it comes to working with Umno, he says there is no concept of a big brother. But when it comes to attacking PKR, suddenly Umno is regarded as the big brother.
"Is Pas' politics based on principles or dictated by the circumstances?" he said.
Danish also suggested that Pas leave it to Umno's leadership to express its own views should any issues arise between Umno and PKR.
He said Umno had its own leadership line-up, including its president, deputy president, Youth chief and information chief, who were capable of explaining the party's position without having to be represented by others.
"If Umno has a problem with PKR, let Umno leaders speak for themselves. Umno has not reached the point where it needs Pas to become its unofficial spokesperson," he said.
